A LONG, STRANGE Summer: Lawn care for in Vancouver, WA

by Drix, Tuesday, July 5, 2016 9:09 AM

Yep, going to be a long, strange summer. Unusually hot and unusually dry, which means difficult turf maintenance will be the norm. Appropriate watering will be critical to keep a lush, green lawn. This means we all have to be smart about how we do this.

Ideal watering in these conditions is to apply 30 to 35 minutes of irrigation, regardless of application system, per section, every other day. Equally important is to water in the early morning. This avoids evaporation/waste of water and helps minimize disease conducive conditions.

Speaking of disease; we are seeing varying degrees of the fungal disease leaf spot in the melting out phase in extremely high percentages of our Client’s lawns. Your applicator will provide more detailed information on a case by case basis.

This disease can be extremely destructive to your turf and is characterized by irregular shaped brown spots (see photos) with spots of seemingly healthy green within (frog eye). Many people apply more water, understandably thinking the turf needs more water, but this actually helps spread the disease.

If you think you have this disease, use a screw driver to dig into the soil. If the soil is moist down to at least an inch, you most likely have the disease. If the soil is dry and crumbly you most likely do not have a disease issue as drought stress can closely resemble disease conditions. If you are unsure you can simply call the office and we will make the determinations and proper recommendations for you.

We are dedicated to providing the best service possible to every client we have. We are here as a resource for you, so use us!